FastPrep® Lysis Beads & Matrix Tubes for Sample Disruption

FastPrep® Lysing beads and matrices make difficult-to-lyse samples easy. No matter how tough or resistant your samples are our bead beating tubes will effectively disrupt cell walls, providing the highest yields of nucleic acids and proteins in a matter of seconds. Sample lysis tubes from MP Biomedicals are highly reproducible with no cross-contamination. All lysing matrix tubes are standard sizes and fit just about any homogenizer on the market. We offer a wide variety of lysing beads and matrices to fit all sample types and applications. But remember, it's not the tubes that are important – It's What's Inside That Counts!

FastPrep® sample tubes range from low to high impaction breaking down any sample type whether the cell walls are hard and brittle or soft. Sample types include but are not limited to: human and animal and plant tissues; microorganisms like bacterial, yeast and fungi; plant, soil, fecal, plus insects and worms.

Impact-resistant lysis tubes with beads are available in 2 mL, 4.5 mL, 15 mL, 50 mL and 96-well format sizes and contain a wide variety of materials to meet your lysing, grinding, and homogenization needs. All matrix particles are produced to the highest quality standards to ensure optimum performance. The lysing matrix particles are then dispensed into the Lysing Matrix Tubes under a rigorous set of proprietary conditions allowing complete confidence for immediate use.

For optimal performance and results we recommend using in conjunction with our FastPrep-24™ 5G Homogenizer and FastPrep® Extraction Kits. Using this combination to easily grind, lyse and homogenize any sample type in seconds. Not only is it fast and efficient but can be dependable time over time.See more.

FastPrep® Lysing Matrix tubes are very versatile, consisting of 16 unique sample tubes that fit any sample type! Whatever your sample, we have the solution. Our matrices contain properties that contribute to optimum success in your protocols. Various properties of a lysing matrix particle, whether inherent or selected, can yield a myriad of end-products depending on the dynamic qualities instilled in that particle by said properties. The inherent properties include the hardness, composition, and density, while the selected properties include the shape and the size. Here is a brief description of our properties:

Size:
The smaller the particles used in the grinding media, the smaller the average particle size and the smaller the lowest-limiting particle size produced during pulverization. (Note: this doesn’t mean that the smallest particles produced will be the same size as the smallest matrix particles used during lysis. The particles of the end product will always be much smaller that the smallest matrix particle. It’s rather like a bullet penetrating a glass window, producing pieces of shattered glass that are much smaller than the incident bullet.) Thus, matrix particle size should be selected based upon the size of the particles you wish to obtain in your lysate. For example, if your goal is to obtain intact and functional organelles, it’s best to utilize a larger grinding media. Utilizing a smaller size matrix would be more conducive to lysing smaller structures, such as viral particles and endospores.

Shape
The shape of the grinding media is a major determining factor in the modality by which the cells are broken apart. Dull lysis media, such as those with spherical shapes, will complete a majority of the overall lysis by forces of impaction, while the sharper and more jaggedly shaped lysis media will complete a majority of the overall lysis by shearing forces. Shearing forces are good for cracking open difficult-to-lyse samples, or samples that necessitate the isolation of a stable molecule such as DNA. RNA and certain easily denatured proteins are often vulnerable to shearing forces, while other molecules such as DNA, stable proteins (antibodies or collagen for instance), structural polysaccharides, and small molecules (such as small secondary metabolites) are immune to shearing forces, and thus it is practical to use shearing forces when isolating these, so as to eliminate those structures and functions that are vulnerable to such shearing forces.

Hardness, Density and Composition
The composition determines two very important qualities: hardness and density, both of which are inherent properties derived from the molecular composition of the matrix particle. The hardness must be greater than that of the sample being pulverized. This is the case for all MP Biomedicals lysing matrices, so this variable is not as significant. The density is more important. The denser the matrix particles, the more effective they are at grinding up spores or tough tissues with dense extracellular matrices. It’s also important that the matrix particles being used are denser than the solution in which they are homogenizing, lest they simple float on top and fail to function in lysis or homogenization. Other qualities also accompany the matrix due to molecular structure. Some examples include electrical conductivity, melting point, and cross-reactivity, but these and other unmentioned inherent molecular properties are essentially insignificant due to our careful selection of the compositions of our lysing matrix particles.

A Word About Knoop and Mohs
Materials chosen for use in FastPrep® Lysing Matrix products are carefully selected based on several criteria (discussed above). A key parameter is the hardness of the material, which can be evaluated by standard assays, which are reported for each of our quality reagents. The Knoop hardness test is a test for mechanical hardness of brittle materials or thin sheets. A small indentation is made in the surface using a diamond point applied with known force/time. The resulting indentation is measured using a microscope and scored with values typically from 100 to 1000, with increasing values being indicative of increase of material hardness. The Mohs scale defines the scratch resistance of various minerals, assessed as the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. Values typically range between 1 and 10, with diamond (for example having a Mohs scale score of 10).
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Each impact-resistant tube contains garnet matrix and a 1/4 inch zirconium banded satellite. Lysing Matrix
A can be used to lyse, grind or homogenize tough and resistant samples. Their use results in higher lysing
efficiency for tough samples due to sharp, angular and irregular surfaces. Garnet matrix can be used very
effectively for DNA isolation, but is very aggressive and should be used with caution for RNA and protein
isolation applications. This grinding matrix is chemically inert and will not bind nucleic acids.

Each impact-resistant tube contains 0.1 mm silica spheres. Lysing Matrix B is used primarily for lysis of gram
positive and gram negative bacteria, and to disrupt fungal tissue and spores. This matrix may also be used as
an additive for disruption by sonication.

Each impact-resistant tube contains 1.4 mm ceramic spheres. Lysing Matrix D is used primarily for lysis of
softer tissues like brain, liver, kidney, lung, and spleen. Also used to lyse plant tissue such as leaves, roots,
and fruits, as well as cultured cells and whole insects. This grinding matrix is chemically inert and will not bind
nucleic acids.

Each impact-resistant tube contains 1.4 mm ceramic spheres, 0.1 mm silica spheres, and 4 mm glass beads. Lysing Matrix E is primarily used for environmental samples such as soil, sludge, wastewater and feces. Lysing Matrix E is also effective when working with mixed samples, such as
microbially-infected tissue, and can be used in RNA extraction from tumors and other difficult tissues.

Tubes contain 2 mm yellow zirconia beads and 1.6 mm aluminum oxide granules. Will break bacterial spores or cysts inside infected tissue. The mixture of large and small diameter particles is also effective at "scrubbing" and lysing target cells that are fixed to a matrix such as tape-stripped skin cancer cells.